Messi marks sixth World Cup with hat trick in Argentina win
Lionel Messi scored three times against Algeria as he became the first men's player to appear in six World Cups, Al Jazeera reported.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
2 min read
Lionel Messi began Argentina’s World Cup title defence with a record-setting night in Kansas City, scoring all three goals in a 3-0 win over Algeria, according to Al Jazeera. The outlet reported that Messi became the first men’s player to appear at six World Cups and also made his 200th international appearance for Argentina.
Al Jazeera said the 38-year-old captain reached several milestones in the Group J match on Tuesday. Cristiano Ronaldo can match the six-World-Cup mark on Wednesday, while Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa could also join that group if he appears during the tournament, the outlet reported.
Records pile up in Kansas City
Messi had an early goal ruled out in the fourth minute before scoring in the 17th, Al Jazeera reported. The goal came after Algeria goalkeeper Luca Zidane gave up a rebound, allowing Messi to finish to the right side of the net.
That first goal put Messi level with Kylian Mbappe on 14 World Cup goals, according to Al Jazeera. Mbappe had reached that total hours earlier in France’s 3-1 win over Senegal in New York, the outlet reported.
Al Jazeera said Messi then moved level with Brazil great Ronaldo on 15 World Cup goals and completed the hat trick to reach 16, matching Miroslav Klose’s tournament record. The third goal was also Messi’s 120th for Argentina, according to the outlet.
A long World Cup arc
Al Jazeera reported that Tuesday’s match came exactly 20 years after Messi made his World Cup debut for Argentina against Serbia and Montenegro in 2006, when he was 18. The outlet also noted that Zidane is the son of former France star Zinedine Zidane, who had a standout run at that same 2006 tournament.
The hat trick made Messi the oldest player to score three times in a World Cup match, according to Al Jazeera. The outlet said he took that record from Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored a hat trick against Spain in 2018, while Messi had previously been Argentina’s youngest World Cup scorer.
Messi also became the first player to score in five consecutive World Cup matches, Al Jazeera reported. He was later replaced by Nico Paz and left the field to a standing ovation from a crowd of nearly 70,000, according to the outlet.
Argentina next play Austria on Monday in Dallas before facing Jordan in their final group match on June 27, Al Jazeera reported. The outlet said Messi would become the first Argentina captain to lead back-to-back World Cup title wins if the defending champions retain the trophy.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.